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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · mate · content · roll · leaves · season · race · racket

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. march — the month
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mate — to breed
  10. race — the arms race
  11. season — in sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — the month
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — the amount
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. march — music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — of the year
  23. content — happy
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com